Venom spewed from the man’s eyes and tone. Venom that told her he was dangerous. Venom that reminded her of another man who’d shed his charming outer skin to become a snake when she’d crossed him.
Had Joy’s husband killed her and set that fire as payback for sleeping with Griff?
* * *
HUMILIATION WASHED OVER Griff as he left Mitzi’s Café. He hadn’t been proud that he’d slept with a married woman, but he hadn’t known at the time or it would never have happened. He’d been angry with Joy for lying to him, not for dumping him, but he sure as hell would never have hurt her.
His father had drilled his personal motto into his sons’ heads—Respect and Protect, Especially Women and Children. Griff had become a firefighter to honor his father’s death.
Wayne Norris, on the other hand, was less than honorable.
He’d driven Joy away with his bullying and drinking. She’d insisted to Griff that she’d never go back to him.
Which meant Wayne was lying about a reconciliation. Maybe about more...
The bastard could have publicly made accusations against Griff to waylay suspicion from himself.
He climbed in his truck and drove to the ME’s office, still steaming. His phone buzzed as he parked. The head of the forensics lab.
“Maverick, I have some results,” Lieutenant Miller said. “The only accelerant in the building was the acetone and chemicals at the salon.”
So, the arsonist was smart. He’d known he hadn’t needed additional fuel.
“But tests prove that it wasn’t just small amounts spilled here and there. Someone poured acetone throughout the seating area and around the doors and walls.”
“He wanted it to spread and spread quickly,” Griff surmised.
“Exactly.” Lieutenant Miller paused. “Oh, and we also found traces of acetone upstairs in the woman’s apartment. Large amounts.”
Definitely intentional. “So, there were multiple points of origin?”
“Yes. This guy didn’t want to take any chances the fire would die out before it destroyed the whole place.”
Griff twisted his mouth in thought. “I’ll relay that to the sheriff. I’m sure he’ll want to look into Joy’s financials and her ex’s in case of an insurance payout.” If Wayne hadn’t killed Joy out of spite, he could have done it for money.
Jacob pulled into the parking lot in his police-issued SUV and parked beside Griff.
“Any forensics that might belong to our perp?” Griff asked.
“We’re still sorting through,” Lieutenant Miller answered. “The fire destroyed most of the place. Add the water and smoke damage to the fact that this business catered to multiple customers daily, and it’s a big fat mess.”
He agreed to keep Griff updated, and Griff climbed from his vehicle. Jacob did the same, and they walked up the sidewalk together. He filled Jacob in on the forensics report as they entered the building.
“Will definitely look into the ex,” Jacob said.
“I just had a run-in with him at Mitzi’s Café.” Griff explained about the confrontation.
“Sorry about that. I had to inform him of her death last night. But I wanted to wait until the autopsy before I brought him in for questioning.”
Griff understood. Jacob would want to be armed with evidence and the ME’s report.
“He’s a ticking time bomb,” Griff said. “Who knows what he’s capable of.”
“I’ll dig up everything I can find on him.”
They walked down the hall, then Jacob knocked on the ME’s door. Dr. Hammerhead opened it, his thick brows marred into a frown. “Come on in. I’m just about to finish.”
The scent of formaldehyde and other chemicals blended with the acrid odor of death. Griff said a silent thank-you to the heavens that Joy’s body hadn’t been burned. It didn’t matter how long he was on the job, he’d never get used to the scent of charred flesh and tissue.
The doctor led them over to the exam table where Joy lay half draped in a cloth. Bins and instruments the ME used lined a sterile stainless steel tray next to the body.
Griff’s stomach knotted at the sight of the Y incision on her chest. Her pale skin looked stark white beneath the bright fluorescent light.
Emotions churned through him. Joy might have lied to him, but she hadn’t deserved this. She had her whole life ahead of her.
Last night, when he’d carried her from that burning apartment, her skin had looked bluish.
This morning bruises marred her arms. Another one darkened her shoulder.
“I did a full tox screen, and she had alcohol in her system, but no drugs.” Dr. Hammerhead lifted one of her eyelids at a time, and Griff swallowed hard.
“Petechial hemorrhaging.” He lowered the sheet and gestured toward bruises on Joy’s neck. “Official cause of death is asphyxiation due to strangulation.”
Just as he and Jacob had surmised. Griff zeroed in on the fingerprints emblazoned on Joy’s neck. Large fingerprints.
Wayne’s? Or had Joy been involved with another man?
* * *
GINNY COULDN’T STAND the wait. She had to know if Joy Norris was strangled. If she’d died at the hands of her husband, Ginny could leave Whistler.
Go back to hiding out.
She was so tired of hiding.
She’d let that jerk ruin her life. Control it for the last three years.
It had to end.
She texted Griff: What did the ME say about Joy Norris’s death?
When he didn’t respond, she darted outside the cafe. She’d go to the morgue and confront him.
Her senses remained honed as she hurried to cross the street. But just as she stepped off the curb, a car flew around the corner. She jumped back a step, but suddenly someone pushed her from behind.
She lunged forward, hands flailing to stay on her feet, but she plunged into the street, hitting the asphalt on her hands and knees.
Tires screeched and brakes squealed. Then she looked up and saw a car barreling straight toward her.
* * *
HE KNEW WHERE Reese was. Had known the moment she’d entered town.
She thought she was so smart. Dying her hair. Changing her name. Skulking in the shadows.
He’d done the same.
But he’d kept tabs on her. Had left her alone for a while and entertained himself with another. Had intended to lull her into a false sense of safety.